Death Stranding was one of 2019's most divisive games. Some praised it as the work of a genius, pushing the medium forward in new and inventive ways. Others saw it as a glorified walking simulator. But no matter the final score on each review one thing is for certain — Hideo Kojima probably read it.
Reportedly, Kojima has an "encyclopedic knowledge of Death Stranding's review scores." That really shouldn't surprise anybody. The game has been his baby since the earliest stages of development. As his first title without Konami, he was bound to be tightly wrapped up in how the game performed. In fact, Kojima has a very interesting view on some of the negative feedback Death Stranding has received.
He believes that gamers from America are so acclimated to action-packed shooters that it was hard for them to sit down and play something as methodical as Death Stranding. While it's true that some American publications gave the game low marks, many European reviews echo the sentiments of their colleagues across the Atlantic. Even more damning is the fact that plenty of slow, methodical games have score highly with an American audience, such as Animal Crossing, Journey, Firewatch, and Stardew Valley.
Kojima was prepared for these mixed reviews, however, saying that this was bound to happen "when you try to do something new." Apparently, he saw the same divide back when he was shaping the stealth genre with Metal Gear Solid. As we all know, people quickly warmed up to that franchise — and now Kojima is hoping the same will happen with the "strand game" genre.
He hopes that, moving forward, the public will be more receptive to these types of games and that his Death Stranding fans will continue to sing its praises. The title has an 82/100 on Metacritic, indicating that the 100+ critic reviews have been "Generally Favorable." It also holds an award on the site for the "Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019." Given how polarizing the game has been, that doesn't come as a surprise. And with a PC port set to release in a few months, prepare for the discussions to begin anew.
Death Stranding is now available on the PlayStation 4. It will also be available on PC on June 2.
Source: Video Games Chronicle